Bottles for storing and dispensing fluid and foodstuffs are well known. Most commonly, such bottles are blow-molded plastic containers. Such bottles are often used to contain fluids such as edible oils. Because such bottles are typically used repeatedly before their contents are consumed, they often have grip portions so that consumers can move the bottles to and from the kitchen cabinet or refrigerator with a sure grip.
Prior art grip portions provide improved grips over conventional bottle designs. These grip portions, however, often do not provide a comfortable grip that is easy to use. It is, therefore, also desirable to provide a grip portion for a bottle that is ergonomically designed and easier to use than conventional grip portions.
A typical prior art bottle having a grip portion is disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,614, assigned to The Procter & Gamble Co. The bottle shown in this patent has a grip portion comprising a recessed portion of a typical bottle shape. In this way, the grip portion provides a thinner area that is easier for a user to grip. The grip portion, however, is weaker than the remainder of the bottle in terms of its ability to withstand vertical loading. Vertical strength is important because such bottles typically are stacked on top of each other, e.g., during shipping or storage. It is, therefore, desirable to provide a grip portion for a bottle that has as much vertical strength as the rest of the bottle.